MBB Riyadh vs Dubai

Question

Question Body:
Hi everyone,
I’m currently deciding between applying to the Dubai and Riyadh offices and would appreciate your insights. I’ve spoken with several people, and while this may be a biased or incorrect perception, I got the sense that interviews at the Dubai office are more standardized and structured, whereas Riyadh interviews are perceived to be more intense or harsh.

I’ve even had conversations with people currently working in Riyadh, and they seemed quite tough and demanding in their communication style.

Has anyone else experienced or noticed a difference in interview approach, culture, or team dynamics between the two offices? Any input would help me prioritize better.

Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

Hello! I haven’t heard of major differences like that because recruiting tends to be pretty standardized across offices, and at the end of the day, it often comes down to the individual interviewer, not the location…

Instead of trying to game the process, I’d think more about where you actually see yourself living. After all, a lot of consultants in Dubai travel to Riyadh every week… Go with the office where you have a better match with current consultants / culture (and where you’d want to spend your weekends in!!) 🙂

Answer 2

You’re right to sense that the perception you’ve picked up is more anecdotal than structural. MBB’s interview process is designed to be extremely standardized globally, whether you’re interviewing in Dubai, Riyadh, or anywhere else. The same case and PEI (personal experience interview) frameworks, scoring rubrics, and evaluation criteria apply across offices.

Where differences do sometimes emerge is in the candidate pool composition and post-offer realities, not in the interview process itself:

Candidate pool: In Riyadh, you’ll often compete with applicants who are Saudi, have strong local networks, regional experience, or prior exposure to national projects. In Dubai, the pool may skew more international with diverse industry backgrounds, and tends to be more saturated since people prefer the lifestyle in the UAE over KSA, although that's changing
Post-offer dynamics: Culture, pace, and client expectations can differ once you’re in the job. Riyadh engagements tend to be higher-intensity due to the nature of giga-projects and public-sector reform mandates, while Dubai serves a broader mix of clients across industries and geographies, but most MBBs have the majority of their project base in KSA, not UAE

If you’re deciding based purely on interview difficulty, it’s not a useful differentiator, the bar is the same. The real choice should come down to where you want to live, the type of projects you want to work on, your long-term career trajectory in the Gulf, but most importantly, each office's quota.

If you want, I can walk you through the current Dubai vs. Riyadh project mix and exit opportunities so you can decide on more than just interview perceptions.